Associate Engineering Manager

Bullfinch Recruitment are proud to be partnering with a high-growth social gaming business, delivering innovative, scalable products to a global player base, who are looking for an Associate Engineering Manager to join their team. The Role Lead cross-functional engineering teams building high-performance systems that power gaming experiences for millions of players worldwide. AI-Driven Engineering Culture: We are actively building an AI-driven engineering organization with a clear and deliberate stance: artificial intelligence is a core part of how we build and deliver software — not an experiment, not a trend, and not an optional add-on. AI is embedded into our engineering workflows, from system design and prototyping to refactoring, testing, and code review. We expect engineers to be fully comfortable working in AI-driven environments and to treat AI as a primary productivity multiplier. Strong engineering judgment, architectural ownership, and accountability remain essential—AI amplifies our engineers, it doesn’t replace responsibility for technical decisions. What you will be doing

• Own delivery outcomes for 1-2 teams (6-15 engineers), ensuring reliable delivery while tracking progress and surfacing risks early
• Manage people and career development through 1-on-1s, performance reviews, and day-to-day team leadership with guidance from senior leaders
• Maintain strong engineering standards across backend, frontend, mobile, and QA teams while ensuring quality and architectural consistency
• Stay technically hands-on (~30%), contributing to code, reviewing pull requests, and maintaining technical credibility within your teams
• Enable smooth team execution by working closely with Team Leads and Product Managers to define clear work and remove blockers
• Support system reliability by helping teams investigate incidents, understand root causes, and continuously improve platform stability

What we are looking for

• Strong software development background with solid backend expertise (ideally Java ecosystem) and distributed systems knowledge
• Emerging leadership experience as a Tech Lead, Team Lead, or similar role with a track record of helping others deliver and grow
• Interest in people management with either early experience or clear readiness to take on these responsibilities
• Strong delivery instincts with ability to track work progress, identify risks early, and keep teams moving without micromanagement
• Sound product sense to identify gaps, risks, and engineering implications in requirements
• Strong English communication skills for both technical and cross-functional discussions

Why you will love it This is your chance to step into engineering leadership at a fast-scaling company where your decisions directly impact millions of players worldwide. You'll work with cutting-edge technology in a high-performance environment that values pragmatic execution over bureaucracy. We offer the perfect balance of hands-on technical work and leadership growth, with clear mentorship and support as you develop into a strong Engineering Manager. You'll have the freedom to shape engineering practices, work with highly skilled teams, and see real impact from day one—all while building systems that operate at massive scale in the exciting world of gaming. Apply To This Job